Migrants have been forgotten in Lineker farce

I found your coverage last week of the Gary Lineker problem to be very good, particularly Sarah Vine’s column, which I agreed with wholeheartedly.

While I believe Gary was a brilliant footballer, his outburst regarding illegal immigrants is totally out of order. He is a man with so much money that he does not experience the day-to-day issues that this problem can cause.

John Smith, Sutton Coldfield

Now that Lineker and a band of ex-footballers are effectively running the BBC, it is definitely time to ditch the licence fee.

Stuart Challis,

Chelmsford

I quite enjoyed the shortened version of Match Of The Day. No waffle from overpaid pundits. All over in 20 minutes and then off to bed for an early night. Back of the net!

Dave Clarke, Kent

While the BBC and its highly paid presenters haggle over what is permissible for presenters to say on social media, the real problem of migrants and the risks to their lives in small boats and rafts seems to have been forgotten.

So also is the fact that invariably the first help they receive is from the brave men and women, mainly unpaid volunteers, of the RNLI who put to sea in all weathers to save complete strangers. If TV presenters are so concerned over the plight of these refugees, then go and join the RNLI and see what service to humanity is really like.

Terence Woodings, Blackpool

The MOTD presenters went on strike in solidarity with Lineker and the virtue-signalling global elite. Perhaps now the non-virtuesignalling peasants can also go on strike and not watch Lineker this weekend. After all, football is a game of two halves.

Russell Nightingale, Cambridge

I write regarding Jonathan McEvoy’s comment about Gary Lineker’s opinion. The thing is, both of them have an opinion – after all, that’s all it is.

The difference between the two of them is that Lineker didn’t express his from his workplace, unlike McEvoy. Perhaps Lineker was silly to do what he did, but he clearly felt that he needed to.

The whole issue has become

(and excuse the pun) a ‘political football’, with much of it not to denigrate Lineker himself but to denigrate the BBC.

J. Ray, Norfolk

People who have money seem to think they can say what they think on any subject and, because they are famous, it makes headlines.

Maureen Arnfield, Leyland

Politicians are far better informed about the complexities of the migrant crisis than sports presenters who merely shout spurious remarks from the terraces.

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